OUSD and OEA Announce Tentative Agreement

Today after seven days, the Oakland teachers’ strike is on track to come to an end as the parties announced a tentative agreement. All of us at GO Public Schools Oakland are happy that kids and teachers will likely be able to return to class next week. And we’re grateful to the leaders who worked creatively and over long hours to find solutions that value teachers and keep OUSD solvent. There are more challenges to overcome together, but this is an important start that will let vital teaching and learning continue in our schools.

TheOakland Unified School District(OUSD) andOakland Education Association(OEA) have released announcements on the tentative deal. The agreement provides teachers with an 11 percent raise over four years, plus a 3 percent one-time bonus, class size reduction, and increased student supports. The tentative agreement must now be approved by OEA membership, the Oakland school board, OUSD’s state trustee, and the county superintendent.

OEA’s statement also reports that Board President Aimee Eng has promised to introduce resolutions pausing school closures for five months and calling for a state-level moratorium on charter schools. As we move forward, we are committed to nurturing an Oakland where everyone accepts shared responsibility for quality and equity for all students, and sustainability among all our public schools — district-run and charter — and that embraces our interdependency in our effort to serve all students and families.

We’re clear that this agreement is only the beginning. A root cause of our problems in Oakland education is that California deeply underfunds our public education system. In the days that come, we must come together — working to bridge divisions created or exposed during this strike — to advocate for our elected leaders in Sacramento to radically shift our funding models. We are committed to advocating for changes and resources at the state level that will bring the funding necessary to continue to improve salaries, supports, and resources for teachers, and much else our teachers need in order to provide the best education possible for the children of Oakland.Click here to let us know you will fight with us for more state funding and we will be in touch about real policy solutions we can pursue together.

Thank you for your efforts to date and going forward in service of quality education here in Oakland.